Toroidal Equilibria of Fusion Plasma in a Curved Theta Pinch.
Abstract
The engineering problems associated with stabilizing the plasma drift due to the magnetic field gradient in a torodial theta pinch are studied analytically and experimentally. The analysis is developed from the Lagrangian formulation for a dynamic circuit model. Stabilization by axial currents is realized from the formulation and agrees with reported experimental results. The formulation is applied to the equilibrium system using auxiliary helical fields of l-fold symmetry. The analysis includes image currents which are spatially periodic due to varying coil-to-wall spacing. The periodicity leads to an asymmetry in the vertical plane resulting in a destabilizing vertical force on the plasma column. A modified helical system with an axisymmetric field period twice that of helical field is proposed. Analysis demonstrates that this eliminates the undesired vertical force while preserving the horizontal force needed for equilibrium. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 10, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0766921
Entities
People
- Arwin Adelbert Dougal
- Emmett L. Cantrell
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin